No bounce in the carriage..or this white girl has no rhythm...

Saturday mornings are Zuma classes for me… My daughter makes me do it, (in the tune of the devil made me do it)… she says it is good for me.. Where did I miss the turn there.. It was my job to tell my kids what was good for them. Some

where I went around the corner and came back behind, with me being on the receiving end.

Every Saturday for the past 3 or 4 Saturdays… (it seems longer)… I drag my funky butt out of the bed… drink coffee.. find loose clothing… and head for SOUL TOWN FITNESS.   There is a sweet, bubbly (luckily I had my first cup of coffee or I would hate early morning bubbly) gal name Kathy Funk, (nothing to do with funky butts) who turns up the music and gets us rolling… hips that is.. and arms.  I must tell you that Kathy is a wonderful cheerful gal.. who really does

believe in all of this exercise bit. She is a prime example how it all works well for those who work out.  As a overweight woman, (she has the pictures to prove it.) is now a thin one… but not too thin.. bubbly fountain of cheer.  So anyone who lives local.. you are missing out, if you don’t go down and see what is going on there in Ponderay. There are classes for $7 for zumba… $10 for others.. or buy a discount card of 10… Or you can join the fitness club.  Very nice clean place.

While this sounds like a commercial, it isn’t.. it is a fact. And now you will know..that the below part of this.. is not Kathy’s fault… just that this white girl(me) has no rhythm.

I have never been a fan of exercise. Like different diets, I have done just about all the exercises of choices over the years… One I did really well, losing 50 pounds… it was a cassette tape that I did daily along with walking a mile to the

mail box.  I HATED THAT TAPE… I hated it the first day… and I hated it up to the 9^th month when I quit doing it.  I looked GREAT!!!! I could fit in my teenager

son’s jeans… oh, yea… I looked great, well there were some who thought at 121 pounds I looked too thin… but I was so happy with myself… BUT…I hated that tape. I prayed each day for the cool down part to hurry up, and at the end,

where you lay on the floor and do some last stretches.. was the heaven part of it.

Now fast forward to 2013…. I am now 30 years older. And I kick myself all the way down to the fitness center… I HATE EXERCISING… I can think of a dozen reasons why I don’t have to go… But I walk in with a smile on my face, change

into my sneakers.. head to the room with bottle of water in hand.. and greet everyone… Not going to be a wet blanket.

So today, I am wiggling parts that haven’t for years, until the past couple weeks.

Trying to get the brain to coordinate my arms with my legs and hips.   And  not look like a disconnected puppet. I have to concentrate on one or the other and then try to get the other to join in… If I can get my hips and legs going in the right direction, then I try to get the arms and shoulders to do what it is suppose to do. Rarely works.. but I try.  I get frustrated as I don’t understand why this does not work well.. I use to be able to jump around.. now it is a shuffle… then it dawns on me…. MY CARRIAGE… MY CARRIAGE DOESN’T HAVE A BOUNCE IN IT ANYMORE… IT IS MORE LIKE A BUCKBOARD ON A RUTTED ROAD. 

I think, ok, I have gave this a good try.. but I am not going to do this anymore… I am comfortable with that… as we are doing the cool down to “SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME”…. Which I am handling pretty well.. after all, I had danced to that for years… and this was going to be my last dance..  ……………………..

And then… my daughter comes up to me… and says… ‘you are doing great, Mom. (yea, right… she honed in on my brain wave (kids do that when they are adults, like we use to do to them)  I know… she just wants to have me not give up and keep coming.. I am on to her…..  AND THEN… as I pay Kathy, she says… you are doing so great… I told her… I don’t think so… my carriage has no bounce… it is more of a buckboard …. And laughed.. She laughed and said.. no

Really you are doing well, and I am so glad you are coming…

Geesh, Maries… I don’t want to go back… I HATE EXERCISE.. oh, guess I already said that…  I walked out into the wonderful sunshine… thinking.. I don’t want to go back…. (and the little voice, sounding like my rotten kid, says.. but it is good for you….and you need to stretch your comfort zone.)  BUT I HATE EXERCISE…  I know.. I already said that… I am repeating myself.. I am old…I am allowed to do that.

So come Saturday morning.. we will see who wins out… I look forward to the end of the month.. as I will have a good excuse for not going… we are going out of town.  Lol…   

Rearing to go...

I feel like I am all dressed up and nowhere to go..

Like I am in high gear and someone has the brakes on.

I got the fever, and got shot down.

Monday was wonderful.. The sun was out all day long.

I worked outside from about 10am to 2pm.. even the dog

basked in the sun.  I got a lot done. And it was just the tip of

the work to be done yet..

I restrained myself from uncovering my rose bushes.. I didn’t

cut the ones back that need it..I didn’t cut back the clematic like I did last year… Nope… I was good.  

See, last year we had two weeks of high 40s and low 50’s. I

thought … wow, early spring!!!  OH, SO… NOT!!!!...  

As the following week we had  8 inches of snow. Lost two rose bushes.. two more were very late in growing and budding, that I thought they were dead.

And the clematis was only half of what it had been the past years.

Nope this year, I am going to be good…. And patience..

So go ahead and snow, I know it will be gone by the weekend.. And I know it will be at least a month before I can really get going, but I dabble a little bit … when it warms up this weekend.

8 years ago today...

8 years ago……

2174 post ago….. I was sitting up one night… couldn’t go to sleep…. SoI went and read a couple of blogs… Slight Detour.. and No Holds Bar. (now called Huckleberry’s Online). 

As I finished up Slight Detour, which was run by Marianne Love and art by her brother, Jim… there was a little line on the very top of the page… those famous

words by BLOGSPOT.  

YOU TOO, CAN START A BLOG…. IT IS AS EASY AS 1…2….3….

I thought about it… Dave Oliveria from  No Holds Bar, had told me I should start one.. And I told him, no… I didn’t have enough to say to do a blog. That I was just a word tosser… (mainly towards his way, by emails).

Well, the rest is history… I used the Wordtosser for my name.. and came up with FROM A SIMPLE MIND… because that was pretty much the truth…and still is.  Readers have come and gone.. New ones have signed on.. I change the back drop three times(thank you Toni), I have shorten it from every day to 4 days a week with holidays off.  But have stuck it out for 8 years… At first I gave myself a month… that lead to a year.

Now I figure if I can last two more years… I will call it quits as 10 years is plenty… beside there has been times when I thought I would just flat give it up.  But every time I have had that thought, something would bug that crap out of me…and I ended up typing away…

I have a sweet wonderful woman, name Jo, (I have written about her in the past) who loves my blog. She tells me that she doesn’t know how I can come up with this stuff to write about.  And to be honest with you, I don’t know how I do it either.  Sometimes I look at this blank page, and

figure, ok, this is the day it stops.. then I type an idea.. and off it goes.

I mostly like writing humorous things.. the fun ones are the ones where I can tell on myself.. of my idiotic ideas, that go wrong. Sometimes it is a soap box about what really ticks me off… Sometimes it is something sad that has happen.    But the ones that are the most fun, are the funny

ones… as I love humor … I love the sound of laughter..

And hopefully I make people laugh… leading to one of my favorite phrases that I use… “Well, I leave you laughing”….. that is one of my sign offs when on the phone. Hopefully I have you as well, my dear readers…  So hang in there.. hopefully I can reach my goal.. of 2 more

years.. God willing…

And here is the first post of 8 years ago…

SATURDAY, MARCH 05, 2005

From a Simple Mind

March 5, 2005

Going to try this out... I am just a word tosser... but a lazy one... don't know if I have enough in my mind to do a daily blog. So don't expect much...

SUNSHINE IN MY LIFE....

 This is the part of Spring I don't like.... Pick up rocks... from the snowblower and plow that the King
used over the winter...

 But the Lilac bush is giving me hope that Spring is coming with its buds starting...

Even Misty is enjoying the sunshine...

 The greenhouse is bare but not for long.. soon .. we hope to add the plastic once again..

 The apple tree is budding as well....

 the backyard birds have visited...

 The raised garden beds are starting to wake... from its winter sleep ... can't wait to start our new
project of planting... suppose to be better produce and less weeds.. we shall see...

 in the dark of the shade is ice still...

 And snow lays waiting .... in the dark of the shadows to remind us not to get into a
hurry...

 And my bike waits... its turn to come out of the shed...

 Yet there is still snow on top of the mountain for the skiers to enjoy a few more times...

 And look who is here for dinner... a full bush ....

This is not lost on Rokon, as she scouts out the bush full of birds... as she ventures out
the first time this year..

ENJOY THE SUNSHINE... I SURE AM...

To Accept the Things I Cannot Change....

To accept the things I cannot change....

We all know the  Serenity Prayer... God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the 

things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. 

I know it is used as a  sobriety prayer but it can pertain to life 

as well. 

This past week and weekend has really brought this prayer to a more meaningful thought.

With the way that Congress is handling itself, and their disregard for all of us, this prayer comes to mind.. They talk about entitlements.. but the only ones I see, are the Congress personal themselves. They make rules and policies that we don't have input.. but that isn't bad enough.. but they make rules and policies for us.. and not for them to follow. The rules are different for them.. their insurance is different than ours.. they have their own private retirement yet don't have any of it in the Social Security systems.. yet they call us the entitlement group.. They tell us to tighten out belts up, but they never do it to themselves.

All of this, is things I have finally decided, (where the prayer 

comes in)  to accept the things I cannot change.  courage to 

change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  

To know the difference is where I was confused or at least had hope.  At this stage of my life... I know, I can not change what 

the government does. Congress will do as they pleased.  We don't seem to be able to find a few good men/women... or maybe that is the trouble.. we can only find a very few... but again that is overruled by other states. They send year after year... people 

who could only care if they get re-elected. Not for the country..

but to feather their beds.  You say, well, we should have term limits. Well, that is the biggest joke on us, of all.  Because the 

only way you can even get term limits... is if CONGRESS 

VOTES IT IN..  Well, good luck with that.  Out of those 500+ people there in that building.. how many do you seriously think 

are going to vote for term limits?  You see how many times 0. 

The only ones talking about it, is US...  These people have 

decided it is a career ... it was never meant to be a career.

So I have decided.. yes, I will read the garbage that the media 

keeps spieling out from time to time...half truths and spins.... 

(I wonder what ever happen to FACTS?) But I am not going to make it my life...not even a half of my life.. it will be low percentage.

For you see, I found out last week a friend died last Nov. He 

died by himself until his mail person found him.. what a sad 

way to go... Another blogger has had a stroke, but she is holding 

her own. This woman wrote poetry that I enjoyed reading..

I HATE POETRY. Hers made sense and made me laugh.  

Luckily her family has left her blog up so I can go revisit.   I 

also have a friend who has been fighting cancer for 7 long 

years.. Chemo, radiation, and back to chemo again.  My gal 

pal, fell on the ice and broke her ankle. I have been doing what 

I can for each of these ladies.. to lunch if they feel up to going 

out, taking to doctor appointments, taking them shopping when 

they can...  Another family in my world, is fighting for their 

lives for mental health... and prayers is all I can offer.

So who the HELL am I... to complain about anything... 

especially about things I can not doing anything about.  I am blessed many folds over. I have my health. I have a loving husband.. I have great kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids... 

and many good friends.. So why should I waste my time... 

on what I can not change.  So I have decided to enjoy the 

moment. Enjoy the laughter, I give and receive.  And hope the Master isn't done with this old piece of clay.

Enjoy the day... be it sunshine or rain. Be it cloudy, or snow.  

Be it a day of tears or laughter.. experience it all.    

And accept the things you can not change. 

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Good bye... Dave Holmes

About 9 years or so ago... there was a blog started by a newspaper called the Spokane Review.

It was run by a man, Dave Oliveria, It was called No Holds Barred in the 

beginning... then changed over to Huckleberries Online. 

In the beginning there were several of us who read it and would

send Dave O.. our thoughts by email, because it was before you 

could comment on it.. And Dave used our comments from time to time. 

Then they open the door, and we could comment and we got to know 

some of the others that wrote. 

One such person was Dave... who called himself

CdA Dave

Over the years we got to know him for his wit,

his love of Beatles, and old music. Also

baseball, Mariners in particular. 

He also sent some great postcard type pictures

of Couer d' Alene, Idaho, to Dave O. to have

on his blog HBO.  

Ones that went back to the old beach, the rides that

were near the city beach, old hotels and other haunts. 

Then a couple of years ago, he sold his house,

and moved to the coast of Oregon. There he found

peace.. he took some wonderful scenic pictures of

the ocean. One of which is below of the sunset, 

which seem to be fitting, as Dave passed away

last fall.  We just found out. 

He closed his blog down as he figured he had

said all that there was to say.  And found more pressing

things to do.. like play music at a local bar that had open mike. 

Of course there were more pictures to take. 

Luckily he got to come back to CdA before he passed. 

He came back for his 40th class reunion. 

I used the earlier picture of Dave, that he had on his 

Facebook. He didn't like his face in public, although 

he did put one up on his Facebook page of a now 

picture taken not to long before he passed away. 

Huckleberries has that one for their post on the passing

of Dave... 

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2013/feb/27/atmospheric/

For those of us who are left behind.. we are 

richer in knowing Dave.. and we are sad 

that his life ended.. way too early at the age of 58. 

Thanks, Dave, for the memories. 

Sunset 2012 ... David T. Holmes

for those who would like to read his blog.... he was talking about deleting it.. I am glad he didn't get a chance to do so... now it is there forever, and everyone to read.. Going back to when he got the birds.. when his humor was at its peak, not to say the rest isn't..  Also there is his knowledge of music... and baseball.. Read and enjoy...
http://hklbrrypkr.blogspot.com/

You just can't fix stupid...

About a couple months ago, in the news was about a fire in the home of the singer Ozzie Osborne and his wife Sharon. How did this happen?

Well, they went to bed… and had left two candles still burning.  WHAT?

WHY would anyone go to bed and leave 2 candles burning?

Then sadly just a few days ago… a 3 year old in the town of Lind, Idaho…was burnt and died.

How did this happen?  Seems the family left a candle burning on their dresser near some clothes and diapers, as the child slept. WHAT??

WHY would anyone have a candle burning.. next to clothes and in a room where a child is.

THE REASON? You just can’t fix stupid… So sad… so preventable.  

THE GROUNDHOG LIED....

Each year on February 2^nd…in  Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, they  have a Groundhog, they named Punxsutawney Phil, who lives in Gobbler Knob,

(and we give this credence?) that they hold up in the 

air… and if he sees his shadow, then there is 6 more 

weeks of winter… And if he doesn’t then winter is for 

all sense and purpose is over or at least an early 

spring……  They do this each year..  and have for 

about 123 years…

They started in 1888, and there were a few missed 

and one was during WWII.

War clouds made it difficult they said???  And it seems 

that long winters were predicated the most.

Now I don’t believe this hogwash.. but one does not 

mess with legends.. but you got to wonder.. especially 

when you google it and find out that he has only be correct 39%....and those are not odds that I would want…

Face it.. the ground hog lied this year.. don’t believe me? 

As the East Coast.

Ask Kansas and those states around there.. and even in Idaho.. this is not an early Spring..  Besides… even if 

they say it is going to be winter for 6 more weeks, if he 

in fact, had seen his shadow.. that is just the mid March… which we all know.. Spring starts March 21^st anyway. 

Yep, hog wash…

Music makes the world go around.....

They say music makes the world go around.. but I guess that isn't true everywhere..

There are some young people who have come to the

United States from Afghanistan to play music… 

To Carnegie Hall…

Why is this so special? Because music is banned by the Taliban’s rule. 

48 children will play Afghan songs as well as some of Western countries.

Also we have certain religions in United States, who do 

not allow music. Amish, I believe is one.. and some of 

the ones here in Idaho,don’t allow radios or televisions. 

I don’t know if that includes all music.

I don’t understand this.. To ban rock, maybe even Jazz, Rap, and such

I can understand. But no music.. no music at all?  

Don’t mothers hum a lullaby to their children when 

rocking them?  Is that allowed? 

I can understand foreign countries banning western countries music. But why Classical? Or even their own music, I am sure it is beautiful to them as our Classical 

or ballads are to us. (yes, I realize that jazz, rap and 

rock is beautiful to some… after all it is all in the beholder.)  

I can not imagine a life without music… 

Where have all the good candidates gone?

To borrow from Pete Seegar…. Hope he doesn't mind my change of words..

where have all the candidates gone.. (to the tune of where have all the flowers gone)

Where have all the good candidates gone?

Long time passing

Where have all the good candidates gone?

Long time ago

Where have all the good candidates gone?

Republicans and the Democrats have picked them, 

every one,

And we are stuck with them…

When will we ever learn?

When will we ever learn?

I live in a flaming red state… where a Republican

has never met a Republican they didn't like..  That 

they vote them in, no matter how bad they are. 

Years ago, each one had some pretty great guys 

who ran and won. Those who cared about this country 

first and foremost.  Yes, they all were put down at 

the time they were in office… some even got shot… 

But they were good men.. who were more concern 

with protecting our country and its 

people. And not the party first and foremost.  

The Lincoln’s, Roosevelts’s, Kennedy’s, Truman 

and such. 

Now days, all we have is bumbling clowns… 

who are so far up the parties tail end, that they have 

forgotten that you and I are here, trying to make it 

in our own little world.  

We have congress people who have never really 

had a job. They have been in congress for 20 to 30 

years.  Some of them never have filled their cars up

 with gas… nor bought groceries.  Have accountants 

who do their paper work for them.. pay their bills 

for them. They don’t have a clue how to pinch a

 penny… give up one thing because they have other 

things that are priority.They say trillion like we say twenty.  

How can they relate to our problems? Our lives and 

what we can do and can’t do, other than them making 

laws against most of it.  And we have no control over 

them.. They don’t even have the decency to even 

mention cutting their wages, or even more important, 

their benefits.

They pass a law on healthcare that it 

is mandatory that each American HAS to

have, yet they exclude themselves. What is with that.. 

maybe they aren't Americans. They talk about how 

the elderly have to tighten up their budgets… 

schools have to do theirs.. and the military has to 

tighten up theirs.. Police, fire departments, hospitals, 

nursing homes… but why, oh 

why, is there never even a mention of their monies? 

When will we ever learn?

When will we ever learn?